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Alumni Careers

Andrew Braford ’16

Designer

Interactive Design and Marketing Certificate

Andrew Braford started his journalism career at East Grand Forks Senior High’s student newspaper the Green Crest. Since then, he has worked for newspapers all over the country and has helped the Grand Forks Herald win a Pulitzer Prize. Now he's at the New York Times, “which surely has some of my old professors shaking their heads in disbelief,” he jokes.

During a staff meeting at one of his first jobs after graduating from the University of North Dakota, he remembers his editor talking about the distant future. “I will retire from the business as we know it,” he said. “But young Mr. Braford over there will not. I don’t know what it will be, but it won’t be this.”

That idea stuck with Braford. The traditional way of storytelling had long been fading—the business model was crumbling. Worried about job security, he began to explore new educational opportunities and landed on MCAD’s Interactive Design and Marketing certificate program.

“I’d always wanted to go to MCAD, but never found the right program. The idea that somebody like me who can’t draw a reasonable stick figure could go to an art and design school such as MCAD was pretty exciting.”

Through the certificate program, Braford is becoming comfortable with new technologies and sharpening his design skills while receiving valuable feedback from his instructors. He will leave with everything he needs to get started with the second half of his career.

Since the program is online, Braford is able to split his time between coursework and working in the New York Times' art department, where he designs pages for all parts of the night production, including sports, metro, national, international, and business.

“The Interactive Design and Marketing program fits me perfectly, taking the experience I already have and turning it into something brighter and better than I ever could have imagined.”